Introducing...Sabrina Taylor

Los Angeles based singer Sabrina Taylor has, it appears, written a song about us.

Maybe she found herself in Dalston when we were putting on a party and went back to the Sunshine State brimming with inspiration? Maybe our SEO strategy meant that she's been following the blog from the West Coast? Maybe she overheard DJ Harvey talking about us as they sat in the departure lounge of LAX as he waited for a flight back to Hawaii. We can but guess. But with the revelation that we have been imortalised in a MOR ditty worthy of an episode of Dawson's Creek, comes her automatic inclusion in "The Cosmic Truth's recommendations for 2009" (albeit by default).

BTW - Any other singer/songwriters out there thinking about using similar tactics to gain a place in this coveted list, let us tell you now not to bother. This trick is only working once. Hats off to Sabrina for getting there first by thinking up a maverick back-door way onto the list and executing her stealth-like plan so efficiently.

Oh and in the event that Taylor makes it big (and we DO get namechecked on Dawson's Creek)...you heard it here first!

New Music // Electric Minds

Arthur Russell was the gifted American composer and musician who continues to inspire and influence many of today's artists. A special record is coming up from our friends at Electric Minds that both celebrates Russell's work and marks their 10th 12" vinyl release. If you'd like a sneak preview click here for the audio from all 3 tracks. Oh and if anyone from the PRS is reading this, all the vocals and instruments have been re-recorded.

The 12" will be in the shops mid April and DJ Mag have already hotly tipped the release:

Well Balearic

This week sees the next instalment of Who's Afraid of the Cosmic Truth, and we've chartered our very own Thompson Tours airliner to fly in the one and only Balearic Mike, direct from the far off land of the Republic of Mancunia especially for the occasion.

Balearic Mike is a true unsung hero - and self-styled Funky Jesus - of British dance music. Forget about the latest trends and current fads, Mike has been a revelatory figure in all that is left field for years gone by, having manned the helm at the institutional Vinyl Exchange in Manchester since the year dot.

A doubtless obsessive, he's literally spent decades extolling the virtues of anything from forgotten library LP cuts to Bonnie Tyler b-sides to the customers of the shop – a list that would read like a who's who of pretty much anyone who at some point had a hand in making Manchester Britain's most musically influential city.

Mike has showcased his brand of off-kilter grooves in many a city, but it's his mix CDs that have gained Mike recognition of the musical cogniscenti across the globe. The Cosmic Alphonsus series bare the fruits of his ear for the oddball, and years of collecting, digging and Djing. Plus he has long hair and a beard, and we all know how much counts for in disco!

With these credentials under his belt, last year Mike went on to appear on Tim Sweeney's Beats In Space radio show, and along side another Cosmic Truth Mancunian favourite, Moonboots, compiled the Originals Volume One for the fantastic Claremont 56 label.

If you haven't done already, you should also check out the mixes from Glasgow in the previous post.

A true fanatic, Mike's sets touch upon blissful sunshine music, mad Italian jams that sound like Eno-era Talking Heads, and rare as rocking horse shot numbers that sounds like a collision between 10CC and New Order, at a party somewhere on the White Isle.

Now that's Balearic!

Coming up...

28.03.09 Who's Afraid of the Cosmic Truth, with Balearic Mike @ Venue TBA, London

30.03.09 Chocolate Vanilla @ Shoreditch House, London (mail us for guest list)

04.04.09 El Diablo's Social Club, with Crazy P Live & DJ set @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester

09.04.09 The Hellfire Club NYC loft party, with DJ Cosmo @ Venue TBA, London

10.04.09 TBA, London

17.04.09 Pressure Cooker @ The Dragon Bar, London (Nick only)

You didn't hear it from us ok!?

Easter Thursday // The Hellfire Club

• DJ Cosmo
• The Cosmic Truth
• Dom Chung & Sean Brosnan

Guestlist only - email us to ensure entry.

Click >here< for a potted history of this illustrious club, founded by Sir Francis Dashwood in 1749 and still thriving today in the underbelly of the capital.

28th March // Balearic Mike

Instead of the usual ramblings to promote an event, give this mix from Manc institution Balearic Mike a whirl. If you (for some untold and bizarre reason) only listen to one mix this year, make it this...

Part 1 Part 2

Recorded live 3 years ago in Glasgow, it remains a firm favourite in The Cosmic Truth camp, with jams from Patrick Cowley, Sharon Bailey, Wet, Ann Margaret and the original Hot Chocolate track that went on to be tweaked on Permanent Vacation recently. Its one of those unique mixes that is perfectly programmed, twists and turns in all the right places and that you can come back to again and again.

Come down and hear him spin alongside Nick & Dick on 28th March.

Stay tuned for venue details.

April 4th: El Diablo's Social Club // Crazy P

El Diablo's Social Club is one of the top clubnights in the North, if not the country, having booked guests such as Daniel Wang, Maurice Fulton, Rub n Tug, Danny Krivit, Greg Wilson, Kelvin Andrews, DJ Spun and Richard Sen.

On Saturday 4th April we are making the trip up for our Diablo's debut. Also playing live on the night are local luminaries (and our Croatian drinking buddies) Crazy P, fresh from touring New Zealand and Australia.


Pick up a copy of their sublime new album on 2020 Vision here.

TTB post-Peru ponderings

Here is the To The Bone latest podcast (right-click to save), live from Crufts. Great job as ever guys- strong songs and beguiling banter. Listen out for the shout out to The Cosmic Truth - we'll forgive the fact they muddle up names, in the same way we forgive Mr Moran's no-show on deck-duties on the night.



We'll forgive. But we won't forget ;-)

Peru's Afraid Of The Cosmic Truth?

What a mental party! Thanks to everyone who came down... So much fun!!!
Things didn’t look too peachy on Saturday morning, when I woke up to find that the venue we were supposed to use had been shut down the night before (déjà vu, anyone?), and until sometime in the late afternoon, we were still without a home.

Thankfully, we got a hand of god in the shape of a basement underneath a Peruvian cafe, which I can only attribute to the Prawn’s return from South America, which meant we could still have the party.

The turnout was pretty amazing considering the change of venue... The place was totally rammed by midnight, and we had a bit of a sweatbox going on. Hot, hot stuff. Here’s Charlie TTB praying to his biggest fan:

Thanks again for coming down and giving the party such a good vibe! Details on the next party will follow very soon.

Much love x